


Broken Hearts Delight

by pessimisticfangirl



Category: The Get Down (TV)
Genre: Future Fic, Light Swearing, M/M, One Shot, Poetry, cause Zeke, older!shao, older!zeke, they are in their 20s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-08-14 07:33:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8003902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pessimisticfangirl/pseuds/pessimisticfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A cold shutter ran through his body as Zeke’s hot breath shot over his ear. He should move away. Get out of this before he does something stupid. But he doesn’t. He never does. He always only goes as far as Zeke lets him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Whiskey on Their Breath

It was one of those rare moments when Shao let an entire record play. Honestly the wackness was preferred over Zeke drunken blubbering. Shao’s efforts to comfort the poet were on going. Presently, they were on Shao’s king sized mattress, only a bottle of bath tube whiskey lay between them. Zeke had red rimmed eyes from tears. His knuckles were white where they gripped the neck of the bottle.

“This always happens.” Zeke wiped the snot that had mixed with his tears away with his arm. “Since the fucking eighth grade this – Back and forth. Here one day gone the next. Let’s just be friends – **_bullshit_**.” Oddly enough it seemed his deep voice was muffling his words more than the alcohol.

“Ah huh.” Shao replied as he finished off the blunt they were sharing. He’d stopped counting the times his wordsmith would come to him in low spirits. It wasn’t always from Mylene. Sometimes it was the insensitive suits he worked for. Or a lingering memory of his mother that had shook him. Though Shao knew he came to the temple to crank out a song. The venting was only part of his process. 

“She had said she was for real this time.” Zeke took another swig of whiskey. “Yet I am always the one who has to drop everything for her. She never does the same for me.” He must have swallowed too much or it went down wrong because he turns away and coughs viciously into his elbow.

Shao takes the bottle from Zeke with barely any protest and swallows down some liquid courage. “Can I ask you something, Books?”

With his head down Zeke gives a nod.

“If she hurts you so much, why you stay?”

He gets the answer he expects, _love_ , without an ounce of hesitation. That’s how Zeke was. He could fill simple words with so much passion. Which only intensified when the wordsmith spoke of love. To Shao, the way Zeke spoke of _love_ must be what those old poets spoke of. The kind of splendor only found in dusty books. The type of books, men like Zeke only seem to understand. The sort of love, men like Shao had stopped believing in at some point in their lives.

“What makes you think you really love her?” Shao says, squinting his eyes at Zeke. He takes another sip. “Passion ain’t always love. It’s not easy to tell them apart but they ain’t the same.” He took one more gulp of whiskey, just to get the last words out. “Seen the kind of passion you two have kill and destroy people, man. And it doesn’t always come in bruises and brawls. Sometimes it’s just about owning somebody. Having one person with their needs met and not giving a fuck for the other person because they just want to _keep_ them.”

Zeke’s reply isn’t as quick this time, “Well I guess she means a lot to me. Always has.” For a moment he shuffles around on the mattress. Won’t even look at Shao. “I know we’re not as good to each other as we should be, we let our passion get out of hand, but she my first love.”

“First love.” Shao mumbles “How often that first love ever last love?”

“Look I know you never felt love –”

“I’ve felt –” Shao says before he can catch himself.

“You’ve felt – ” Zeke parrots him and then his mind pieces it together. “Fuck Shao, since when? And with who?”

And just like that Shao’s throat tightened up. No words come out.

The silence seemed to only make Zeke even more eager, “Oh you gotta tell me!” Zeke flashed his teeth with such joy, yet Shao still felt threatened. As Shao kept quiet Zeke’s smile dropped. “Don’t mean to pressure you Shao. Thought it be nice to hear some good news, is all.” Shao always found it bizarre that Zeke was somehow even more moody when drunk. Zeke sat up straight on the mattress and moved closer. They were shoulder to shoulder now, one of Zeke’s long arms laid casually behind Shao’s back. The smell of whiskey hung on his breath. The heat from his mouth was magnetic, but Shao felt too heavy to move. His body weighed down with each pound of his heart. Then Zeke leaned into Shao’s side and whispered into his ear. “Who is the girl who conquered Shaolin Fantastic?”

A cold shutter ran through his body as Zeke’s hot breath shot over his ear. He should move away. Get out of this before he does something stupid. But he doesn’t. He never does. He always only goes as far as Zeke lets him.

“Is this like, a ‘free people’ thing?” Zeke seemed to pull away from Shao only long enough to get a good look into his eyes. “It don’t matter if it ain’t no girl, Shao.”

Finally Shao turns to Zeke and really looks at him. The tears are all dry now and his lips are curved into a dopey grin. “I wanna hear about the person who makes my man happy.” With that Zeke runs a gentle hand back and forth over Shao’s shoulder.

“Alright.” He can give Zeke this. Let him be happy for him. “But I ain’t naming no names.” Shao brings his hands together. “They loyal. It’s like they get more loyal every day. And sometimes the shit they say. I don’t know it gives me peace.” A soft smile crept on his face. “You know I’m not much on talking.” Shao spun the cap back on the whiskey bottle.  “Talking isn’t hard when it’s just them, though.”

Somehow Zeke’s smile had gotten even dumber, “Sounds like they really down for you.”

Shao shrugged off Zeke’s arm, “It’s not like that.” He put some distance between the two of them. “Pretty sure they don’t see me that way. Don’t see men that way either.” With the whiskey in his hands he shuffled off the mattress. The liquor cabinet was only a few steps away, but that little distance helped loosen him up.

“They work for Fat Annie with you?”

Shao closed the cabinet. The song had ended a while ago, but he needed something to distract him right now. “They don’t do shit like that. Tried to get them in on the hustle, but they weren’t having it.”

The temple was bigger than Shao’s dojo had been. Even though the turn tables were only on the other side of the room it was still a ways away.

Zeke practically had to yell just to be heard by Shao. “Have I met them?”

“Yeah, but you probably didn’t notice.” Shao replied. For a moment Shao skimmed through his records. The only wack thing he could stand right now though was the record he’d just played.

“You should introduce me.” Zeke yelled again. A soft laugh followed after.

With a snort Shao started the song again. Then he went back to the mattress. Didn’t sit down this time though. Instead he simply stood close by. Hands in his pockets.

Zeke huffed out a laugh. “This better not be like that fake ass girlfriend who guards your pumas.”

Shao squared his shoulders. “Nah, this one’s real.”

“You know, if this person is as tight with you as you say, they should meet your brothers.” Zeke’s louder than he needs to be. His voice firm. Unyielding.

“Doesn’t matter it’s never gonna work out.”

Zeke shuffled off the bed, “Then let the get down brothers met them. Test the waters to be sure. If there’s a possibility, you should at least try.” His voice was considerably quieter, yet it still held so much power.

“Ain’t gonna happen!” Shao shouted in reply. His entire body was beyond tense right now.

“Why are you fighting this so hard? I’m just trying to help – ”

The music cut off as Shao knew it would. He knew this record by now. Still he screamed his reply. In the solitude of the temple, his voice rang out. Bouncing off the vault ceilings, “Because they’re too busy with their butter squash queen!!!”

There it was. In the open now. There was no hiding anymore. Shao hoped that this wouldn’t hurt the get down brothers. The closest thing he ever really had to family. Zeke called out to him. Trying to feed him calming words.

“Drop it, Books!” Shao shouted, his voice cold. “This conversation never happened.” With a bit of showy acrobatics he kicked himself off the side of the wall, “Act like it’s some unfinished bars in your Rhyme book and leave it alone, wordsmith.” And he jumped out the busted window.


	2. Words of the Heart

At the moment, Shao just wanted to spin some records. Which is something he could only do at the temple. Zeke had to work evenings so Shao should have the place to himself. He wasn’t ready to see him just yet. Last night he made a few deliveries for Annie, then stopped by the Kiplings for some food and a shower. They insisted he stay overnight. Even gave him breakfast for the morning. He hadn’t touched it yet. He wanted to eat at the temple. Alone.

So when he walked through the door, greeted by a groggy Zeke, he froze. The other man was still here. Still in Shao’s bed. Zeke wiped his mouth and propped himself up on the mattress.

“Don’t you have some suits to bother? A 9 to 5 to get to.” Shao asked as he moved across the room. Trying to be as casual as possible. “Don’t _blancitos_ hate when you not at they beck and call?”

“It’s a federal holiday.” Zeke grumbled as he stretched his arms. “You got food.”

“Yeah, Mrs. Kip made it for me. So you ain’t getting none.”

“Oh come on.” His complaint was drawn out by a yawn. “Let me have some. Mrs. Kip make crazy food –”

“Exactly. That’s why I’m finna eat it.”

“All of it?!”

“Every damn bite.” Shao grinned. Then he plopped down on the sofa, took a fork out his pocket, and dug into his plate.

On the other side of the room the mattress creaked and Zeke headed towards the bathroom. Though the peaceful moment was much needed, when Zeke took up the space on the couch with him Shao couldn’t find it in himself to complain. There was plenty of room with just the two of them and still Zeke sat so close their knees knocked.

“Wrote something last night.” Zeke says as he smoothed down his shirt and straightened his collar. “After you left.”

With a mouth full of beans and rice Shao replied rather loudly, “I’ll play you something after I eat, man.”

Zeke grimaced. Shouldn’t have downed so much of Shao’s whiskey. Shao’s lips hurt from holding back his grin.

The silence that followed wasn’t half as uncomfortable as Shao was expecting. And when Zeke broke the silence with his growling stomach, Shao grinned harder. He passed the plate to the other man. Spinning the fork in a way that made Zeke giggle huffing about how ridiculous Shao was.

“I’m sorry for pushing so hard last night.” His voice muffled by the food.

Shao spat out a “sure, man” and leaned back into the couch cushions.

When Shao saw that Zeke was finished he moved to get up. Ready for some noise. But there was an arm loosely wrapped around his bicep that pulled him back down. “Thought about what you said. About feeling peace.”

Shao tensed up all over again at Zeke’s words. It had been settled. They weren’t supposed to speak on it. If they talked about it, then things would change. The get down brothers could change. The boys already had some of their own things going on. They were distant enough as it is. Any farther apart and then... Then home cooked food and holidays spent with a family would disappear. There would be no music worth listening to. No beat could fix – He felt Zeke grab his shoulder and turn him towards him.

“Hey Shao chill out.” When Zeke spoke his voice seemed distant even though he was practically sharing air with Shao. The fear in Zeke’s face worried Shao too, but he couldn’t quiet his mind. “You scaring me, Shao. I swear whatever you thinkin’ about we’ll get through it together. You, me, and the get down brothers!” The words were being heard, but Shao couldn’t use his words to respond. He felt like he wasn’t even really there. “I swear it on my mama’s grave Shao!”

Suddenly Shao was back in the room practically being held by Zeke. “Don’t say shit like that about your moms, Books.”

Zeke scoffed with an irritated fondness. “You alright?”

“Yeah.”

“Fuck” Zeke mumbled. “I had a speech and everything.” He whispered.

“What you wanna practice your politicking on me again?” Shao turned away from the other man.

“No” Zeke held his face in his hands. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t want to worry you.”

“I said I was alright – ”

“Fine, but if you lock up on me again we’re holding this conversation for a later date.”

Shao nods in reply.

With that Zeke clears his throat. Loosened a button on his shirt, exposing his hairy chest. Then wiped his palms on his pants. “Okay. I’ve been thinking about what you said last night. About feeling peace.”

Zeke took a deep breath and somehow moved even closer to Shao. “And that’s how you have me feeling sometimes too.” As Zeke set a hand on his knee, Shao’s eyes followed his movement.

“That’s you, pumping my heart full of adrenaline.” Zeke whispered. His deep voice somehow had gotten deeper. “An intensity liken to heroin./Yet peace blankets me.”

This wasn’t like the things he’d written for battles. This was more intimate. Like the musings he mumbled while he was still creating. The most poetic lines never saw battle. They were kept in Zeke’s Rhyme book for another day. Though sometimes they would grace Shao’s ears, Zeke rarely spoke his rhymes aloud for others to hear. When any one came close he’d get silent. This right now though was even more intimate than his creative ramblings. Zeke didn’t just feel comfortable sharing his unfinished work, he had chosen these lines specifically for Shao.

“I see my heads above water. I do not tire nor wander./My minds clear and I fear no thunder./That’s you, strengthening my mettle…”

The pause on an empty bar shook Shao for a moment. Zeke moved his head closer to the other man’s ear. “I know I made you my brother, but should’ve asked if you wanted to be my lover.” A soft laugh followed his words.

The quiet that followed was filled with hushed panting. Neither of them backed away.

“Look Books don’t play games with me. – ”

“Not trying to.”

“So you’re serious then?” Shao only got Zeke’s gorgeous smile in reply, but he refused to let it effect him. “What about your first love?”

“If you had stayed and talked instead of being your usual ridiculous-fake-KongFu-having-ass then I would of told you, I went to her studio last weekend and told her we could only work professionally.” Zeke picked up Shaolin’s hand and traced his palm. “I can’t take any more heartache from her, hell maybe anybody for a while.”

“Fuck.” He huffed, but his lips were curving into a soft grin. “What we do now?!”

Zeke leaned into him and rested their foreheads together. “We see where this goes./Where the wind blows the leaf./Try to keep the trust our friendship bequeathed.”

“Bequeathed? Ain’t you wordy.” Shao shot back.

“Sorry, I finished some Robert Browning the other day – ”

“Your humble brags are getting a bit on the nose there?”

If their laughing didn’t make them lose enough breath their first kiss would have done it. They were both smiling too hard to kiss proper, but that didn’t stop them from trying.


End file.
